Are you doing good or well?

Somewhere in the far off past, your elementary school teacher told you about parts of speech - the operative word being told. At the time, you were more concerned with playing kickball at recess or walking with your friends to the lunch room. Many years later, you are at college, and suddenly your English Professor is telling you that you are misusing adverbs. Meanwhile, you rake your distant memories, trying to discern facts from the fog: What is an adverb?

So, let's make a quick review of the different parts of speech. We will then conclude with an activity so you can apply your learning.

noun - a person, place, thing, or idea (examples: cloud, apartment, happiness, Denver)

proper noun - this is a specific noun (examples: Troy, United States, McDonald's)

pronoun - a general word used in place of a noun (examples: he, she, they, her, us)

adjective - describes a noun (examples: cold, smart, hidden, good)

verb - an action or state of being (examples: think, play, is, study)

adverb - describes a verb (examples: quickly, effectively, poorly, well)

preposition - shows relationship between words (examples: above, below, in, near)

conjunction - connects parts of a sentence (examples: and, but, because, either/or)

articles - gives information about a non (examples: a, the, an)

Now, identify the parts of speech in the following sentence: Peter Piper precisely picked a peck of pickled peppers, but Sally sold sea shells by the sea shore. 

1. Peter Piper
a. verb   b. proper noun   c. pronoun   d. preposition

2. precisely
a. verb   b. adverb   c. adjective   d. article

3. picked
a. verb   b. adverb   c. adjective   d. conjunction

4. a
a. noun   b. conjunction   c. article   d. adverb

5. peck (which is a unit of volume equal to two gallons)
a. noun   b. verb   c. adverb   d. pronoun

6. of
a. verb   b. article   c. conjunction   d. preposition

7. pickled
a. noun   b. adverb   c. adjective   d. conjunction

8. peppers
a. adjective   b. proper noun   c. noun   d. preposition

9. but
a. conjunction   b. preposition   c. article   d. noun

10. Sally
a. conjunction   b. article   c. adjective   d. proper noun

11. sea shells
a. noun   b. pronoun   c. adjective   d. verb

12. by
a. noun   b. pronoun   c. preposition   d. conjunction

13. the
a. proper noun   b. adverb   c. adjective   d. article

14. sea shore
a. conjunction   b. adverb   c. proper noun   d. noun

15. How are you doing?
a. I am doing well.   b. I am doing good.

16. How are you?
a. I am well.   b. I am good.


Key: The correct answers are below. Review your incorrect answers to determine why they are incorrect.1.b  2.b  3.a  4.c  5.a  6.d  7.c  8.c  9.a  10.d  11.a  12.c  13.d  14.d  15.a ("well" is an adverb describing "doing," which is a verb)  16.b 

Forest, Trees, and In Text Citations

Citations, Simplified

Deep in the forest of your research paper, the tangle of trees may be overwhelming.

How do I properly cite this quotation? Do I put the author first? Do I put the title in quotes or italics? Do I cite after the quote or do I just use the reference section? Should I use MLA or APA? Or Turabian...what is Turabian? Does the period go before or after the parentheses?

Lost in the woods, the answer to all of these questions may seem completely arbitrary. But don't despair. There is an order to things and you just need to step back to see the forest for the trees. The forest, in this case, is a style guide.

What is a style guide?

A style guide provides clear rules for citations, language usage, punctuation, grammar and formatting for books, articles, and research papers. You have probably heard of the two most popular style guides:  MLA style (Modern Language Association) and APA style (American Psychological Association).  But there are many more, including Turabian style (a simplified version of Chicago Style),  AMA style (American Medical Association), and CBE style (Council of Biology Editors).

Look closely and you will see that each style guide looks very similar but is in fact different. In a perfect world, we could all unify behind one style to simplify the process. Alas, the world is not perfect. So...

Two Simple Steps

First, identify what style guide to use for your research paper. Your professor will usually specify in the course syllabus or assignment directions. If your professor does not specify, then any of the major styles should be fine. Different styles are roughly associated with different disciplines: APA (social sciences and education), MLA (arts and humanities), Turabian (history and political science), and CBE/AMA (physical sciences).

Second, follow the style rules listed in that particular style guide: APA, MLA, Turabian, CBE, or AMA. It can be confusing and slow-going at first, but following the style guides will get easier as you go. To make the process especially easy, you may use the References tab of Microsoft Word to automate most of the process, as illustrated in this video.


In Text Parenthetical Citation with Reference Section

To add another layer of confusion, most style guides allow for two different citation formats: parenthetical citations or end notes citations. Books and journal articles often use end note citations, but most often students writing research papers will use parenthetical citations.

For parenthetical citations, you provide an short citation within the text, following a direct quote or paraphrase. For example, "We must rethink higher education," the authors state (Keeling and Hersh 2011, 151). This particular parenthetical citation is in Turabian style. 

For end note citations, a quote or paraphrase is followed by a number or symbol in superscript (such as the *) that then corresponds with end notes listed later in the work.

In either case, you must also include a reference section, also called a bibliography, at the end of your work with the complete citation for any book, article, website, et cetera cited in your research paper. Here is the reference section citation that follows the in text parenthetical citation, again in Turabian.

Keeling, Richard, and Richard Hersh. "We're Losing Our Minds: Rethinking Higher Education." New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2011.

The Dangerous World of E-mail

With the advent 0f e-mail and text messaging, the world of informal social chit-chat has made its way to the electronic word. This is all fine and dandy when communicating with friends, but can pose a problem when communicating in a professional environment (in example, college or the work place). There are a number of reasons, therefore, to use formal communication style when communicating with employers, professors, academic advisors, et cetera.

First, grammar, punctuation, and spelling all serve to clarify your message. Incorrect grammar, punctuation, and spelling may unintentionally change the meaning of your message or make it difficult to understand.

Second, don't be naive! Whether you like it or not, many employers and professors will formulate an opinion on your skills and education based on your grammar, punctuation, and spelling usage. Don't give them a reason to doubt your abilities.

So, use "lol" and "long runn on sentences w/0 punctuation spelln etc" all you like when e-mailing your friends, but I strongly encourage you to use formal communication style when e-mailing your employers, professors, and advisors. This means you should write your e-mail as you would write a paper for our English course.

When in doubt, proofread!

"Hey, don't forget me," says the semi-colon.

A colon - as previously described - is used 1) to connect a definition to an independent clause, 2) to start a list, 3) following a formal salutation, and 4) to connect an independent clause to a direct quotation.

But what about the colon's little brother - or perhaps more social cousin - the semi-colon?

First, a semi-colon is used to connect two independent clauses (complete sentences) that are related to one another. In this situation, you could also use a period but would elect to use a semi-colon if the two independent clauses relate or interact with one another.

1. It was a dark and stormy night; our hero put on a raincoat. (correct)
2. It was a dark and stormy night. Our hero put on a raincoat. (also correct)

Here both examples are correct and mean basically the same thing. The use of a semi-colon (sentence 1) indicates that there is a direct relationship between the weather and the action of the hero.

3. It was a dark and stormy night: our hero put on a raincoat. (incorrect)
4. It was a dark and stormy night: by 4:00 AM over three inches of rain had fallen. (correct)

Here we are getting into the subtle difference between a colon and semi-colon. In sentence 3, the second independent clause does not define the first. Thus, the colon is incorrect. In sentence 4, however, the second clause does define the first. Thus, the colon is correct.

Second, a semi-colon is used to connect two independent clauses when using "however," "therefore," "furthermore," or "thus" (conjunctive verbs). Once again, it is also correct to use a period. Whether we use a period or a semi-colon, the use of the conjunctive verb already indicates that there is a relationship between the two independent clauses. Thus, in this instance, the only reason to use a semi-colon as opposed to a period is to add variety to your sentence structure. In other words, it is a matter of style, not grammar.

5. Cement is very expensive; therefore, it is cheaper to build a house with wood. (correct)
6. Cement is very expensive. Therefore, it is cheaper to build a house with wood. (correct)

Here is a tricky point. If you are connecting two independent clauses with "and" or "but" (coordinating clauses), then you cannot use a semi-colon (sentence 7). In this case, you need to either remove the coordinating clause (sentence 8) or use a comma (sentence 9).

7. Cement is very expensive; but it is cheaper to build a house with wood. (incorrect)
8. Cement is very expensive; it is cheaper to build a house with wood. (correct)
9. Cement is very expensive, but it is cheaper to build a house with wood. (correct)

Third, a semi-colon is used to add clarity to a list that already has commas (sentence 10). In this case, the semi-colon brings order to an otherwise confusing sentence.

10. At the grocery store, Victor bought everything he needed to make dinner: a round steak, which he plans to use as a roast; frozen mixed vegetables; and bakery-fresh brownies, his daughter's favorite dessert. (correct)
11. At the grocery store, Victor bought everything he needed to make dinner: a round steak, which he plans to use as a roast, frozen mixed vegetables, and bakery-fresh brownies, his daughter's favorite dessert. (incorrect and confusing)
12. At the grocery store, Victory bought everything he needed for dinner: a round steak, mixed vegetables, and brownies. (correct)

Note that in a simple list (sentence 12), a comma will suffice. Think of the semi-colon as the Sheriff of a sentence with a list that only needs to intervene when a comma fails to bring order and clarity to the sentence.

Let's Talk About Colons!

You might be expecting a medical post, but let's talk about colon the punctuation mark as opposed to colon the bodily organ. How do you use a colon?

First, a colon is used to mark off an explanation that follows an independent clause. (An independent clause is a statement that can stand on its own as a complete sentence.) A colon states, "I am going to explain what I just said."

1. It was a beautiful day: new snow was falling.
2. That test was extremely challenging: I did not study long enough.
3. A colon - the punctuation mark - has an elegant look to it : the colon consists of two dots stacked neatly on top of one another.

Second, a colon is used to separate a quote from an independent clause. The key here is that the quote is preceded by an independent clause.

4. Note the amazing point that Troy makes: "Be sure to use your colon correctly!"
5. The weather man said something extremely disappointing: "It is going to be a beautiful warm sunny day!"

Third, use a colon after a salutation in a formal letter. You will use a colon in this manner when you are writing a cover letter or scholarship statement.

6. Dear Financial Aid Appeals Committee: Please consider my circumstances when evaluating my financial aid status.


Fourth, use a colon to mark off a list.

7. A colon has a number of appropriate placements: preceding an explanation of an independent clause; separating a quote from an independent clause; after a salutation in a formal letter; and before a list.

I think you will find that - when done correctly - using your colon can be an extremely exciting process. Enjoy!